Dr. David P. Quattrochi was officially hired Saturday as superintendent of the Carrollton Exempted Village School District amid words of promise and praise.

Board of Education members voted unanimously to hire Quattrochi when they met in special session at 2 p.m. in Bell Herron Middle School for the vote and to introduce him to the community.

Quattrochi will receive a three-year contract with an annual salary of $96,400. It begins Aug. 1 and runs through July 31, 2015. The contract is expected to be signed during a special board meeting at 8 a.m. Friday.

“I’m excited to be here and to work with the community, the staff and the board of education to move this district forward,” he said. “I hope to make this one of the best districts in the state. I believe in an open communication policy and want to get feedback from the community on how to proceed with the financial difficulties, and the state and federal cutbacks.”

“This is a close-knit community and there is the potential to do a lot of good things,” he added.

Quattrochi has been the superintendent of Edison Local Schools, near Amsterdam in adjacent Jefferson County, for four years, after serving one year as its interim superintendent and four months as its assistant superintendent.

Prior to that, he was assistant principal and principal at Wintersville Elementary in the Indian Creek Local School District for a combined total of six years. He also served as a principal at Indian Creek’s Wayne Elementary in Bloomingdale, where he had been a teacher for fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade math and social studies for two years.

He obtained his doctor of education degree in December 2009 from West Virginia University in Morgantown. He received his master’s degree in educational administration in 2001 from Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Quattrochi, and his wife, Tina, have three children and reside near Bergholz.

“David Quattrochi stood out above all the candidates,” board Vice President Helen Skinner said. “He was the best fit for Carrollton schools. He had all the right things on paper. He is a breath of fresh air to clear the fog in Carroll County.”

Board member Wendy Gotschall said that Quattrochi will bring leadership back to the district.

“He really cares about and respects each individual,” Gotschall said. “He is highly visible and up-front. He can lead and achieve what we thought this district never could.”

“I am glad to be part of this family,” Quattrochi said. “There are financial issues to be addressed. I look forward to joining this tradition. I look forward to meeting community members. I look at it as more than a job. It’s a way of life.”